Flight Attendants, Stewards, and Service: What are Common Challenges?

Every industry seems to experiencing a slump these days. It is just inevitable. The economy has been hit hard and coming back is not going to be easy or fast. The plane and travel industry is certainly on the list of first things to be cut from the average consumer"s budget. As a flight attendant or service specialist, you may have noticed a measurable drop off in travelers, personnel cutbacks, and in flight service incentives. What are some of the challenges you can expect to see an increase in as a flight attendant as the economy endeavors to rebound from its current slump? Below, are some of the most common challenges facing the flight attendant and service industry these days.

More Erratic Shifts: With increasing economic stalemate comes less confidence and funds to travel. This, in turn, cuts down on frequency and regularity of flights. Moreover, cutbacks on flight service stewards and staff means more schedule and workload demands on you as a flight attendant. This can result in a much more erratic schedule for you as a flight attendant or flight steward.

More Customer Complaints: As cutbacks in included flight services are initiated because your airline cannot afford to offer them any longer, unfortunately the messenger-the flight staff-gets shot. So when your passengers are angry that they no longer get their complimentary bag of peanuts or have to pay to check their bags, their temperament will extend to you. You will have to be able to handle these complaints and temperaments with more patience and customer attention.

More Layovers: Along the same lines as the erratic shifts and scheduling that you as a flight attendant may encounter in today"s economy, you can also expect to be caught up in more layovers in between shifts. Less flights means more time in between rides to and from your original departure location.